India International Coffee Festival from Feb 12
Bengaluru (PTI): The India International Coffee Festival beginning from February 12 is expected to attract over 20,000 visitors, officials said on Monday.
The three-day festival will be held at Chamara Vajra, Jayamahal here with the support of the Specialty Coffee Association of India (SCAI), Coffee Board of India and presented by NESCAFA, Nestle India, they said.
The festival brings together the entire spectrum of India's coffee ecosystem on a single platform, officials said.
Addressing a press conference here, Kurma Rao M, CEO and Secretary, Coffee Board of India termed the India International Coffee Festival (IICF) as the country's only dedicated coffee festival.
He said IICF 2026 will convene coffee growers, processors, exporters, roasters, equipment manufacturers, cafe brands, baristas, and consumers.
Positioned as an industry-led forum, the festival focuses on collaboration, knowledge exchange, innovation, and market access at a time when India's coffee sector is transitioning towards quality-led growth, he added.
"Indian coffee is gaining recognition for its quality and diversity. Platforms such as IICF play an important role in connecting producers with markets, encouraging best practices, and supporting the long-term growth of both domestic consumption and exports," Rao told reporters here.
IICF organiser and SCAI president Hamsini Appadurai said, "India's coffee sector is steadily moving from a commodity-led approach to a quality and experience-driven market."
"This edition of IICF reflects that shift with greater scale, deeper business engagement, and a strong focus on showcasing the diversity and potential of Indian coffee across domestic and global markets," she said.
According to a statement, the festival, which is structured around a farm-to-cup framework, offers insights into production, processing, roasting, and brewing through curated tastings, workshops, and cupping sessions.
These experiences highlight regional coffee profiles, processing techniques, and flavour development, encouraging informed consumption and a deeper appreciation for quality and traceability, it said.
The 2026 edition will also host the National Coffee Championships, where winners from regional rounds will earn the opportunity to represent India at international competitions, reinforcing India's presence on the global coffee stage, Rao said.
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Vijayan condemns Assam CM''s alleged "point-blank" video
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday said he was "shocked" by a purported video posted on the 'X' account of the BJP's Assam unit that appeared to incite violence against a minority community, and called for a united resistance to what he described as "communal hatemongering".
The now-deleted video purportedly showed Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma taking aim with a rifle and firing a shot at two people, one wearing a skull cap and the other with a beard, with "point-blank shot" as the caption.
In a post on X, Vijayan said, "the video of Assam CM @himantabiswa is a shocking, direct incitement of violence against the Miya community."
"Such nefarious attempts to normalise hate for electoral gains are an affront to our Constitution," the veteran CPI(M) leader said.
He alleged that the "silence" of the BJP national leadership "confirms their complicity" in this divisive politics.
"Secular and democratic forces must unite to resist this communal hatemongering and protect the pluralist soul of India," he said.
Separately, in a Malayalam Facebook post, Vijayan said that standing at the doorstep of elections in Assam, a person holding a constitutional position was challenging the Constitution and spreading communalism in order to attract majority votes.
"How can a person who calls for genocide against minorities lead a state in a secular country," he asked.
Alleging that the national leadership of the BJP had so far been unwilling to rein in the Assam CM, Vijayan said: "The truth is that Himanta Biswa Sarma openly said what they hesitate to say publicly."
Meanwhile, the Assam Chief Minister on Monday expressed ignorance of the state BJP's video, which created a controversy and was deleted.
